Oak Ridge Manhattan Project bill moves ahead

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill, which would establish a national park commemorating the Manhattan Project of World War II in Oak Ridge and two other sites.

from staff reports

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill, which would establish a national park commemorating the Manhattan Project of World War II in Oak Ridge and two other sites.

The U.S. Senate has voted its Manhattan Project National Historical Park bill out of committee and it’s awaiting to come before the full Senate for possible vote.

If approved, the Park would be established under the National Park System within a year. The bill requires coordination, planning and cooperation between the Park Service and the Department of Energy — all three sites are already owned by the federal government and under DOE’s purview — to ensure secure, safe access to the locations.

If approved by the Senate, a Manhattan Project National Historical Park would be established with facilities in Oak Ridge, Hanford, Wash., and Los Alamos, N.M.

The act is an amendment House Resolution 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill is also stand-alone legislation by U.S. Congressman Doc Hastings, U.S. Congressman Ben Lujan, and U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann.

“The National Parks Conservation Association applauds the leadership of House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings and the bipartisan support for national parks demonstrated by our House of Representatives today in passing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act,” stated Ron Tipton, National Parks Conservation Association’s senior vice president of policy. “The complex story of the Manhattan Project and the resulting impacts of atomic power and nuclear technology are an ideal topic for the National Park Service to interpret and to facilitate thoughtful discussion.

“With only a very small percentage of our national parks currently dedicated to interpreting science and technology, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park would help enhance our National Park System — particularly as we look to its 2016 centennial celebration.”